According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American public lives within an "obesogenic" environment, filled with massive quantities of unhealthy food and physical inactivity. In 2007-2008, 72.5 million Americans were classified as obese, a condition that only leads to chronic illness and compromised life expectancy. To battle the bulge, in an effort to shrink fat cells and lose weight, some are turning to supplements that are thought to burn fat.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea leaves contain polyphenols, or chemicals with strong antioxidant properties. Antioxidants combat free radicals in the body, which cause cellular damage and disease. The polyphenols found in green tea are classified as catechins; of the six catechins, apigallocatechin, or EGCG, is the most active and plentiful. EGCG helps to burn fat and shrink fat cells by blocking the breakdown of enzymes that degrade norephinephrine, a neurotransmitter that burns fat. Norepinephrine also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, thus increasing resting metabolic rate, which burns fat. Consult a physician before taking green tea extract.
Chromium
Chromium is a mineral that the body requires to stabilize blood sugar. Chromium plays a role in glucose, or sugar, uptake into the cells through its interaction with insulin receptors. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to food consumption. All cells of the body require glucose to function, and glucose is unable to enter the cells without insulin. Insulin opens the doors of cellular walls, to allow the entrance of glucose, but it cannot open the doors without the aid of chromium. Chromium may play a role in fat burning and fat cell shrinkage by increasing the efficiency of cellular glucose entrance by insulin. The regulation of blood sugar helps the body to burn fat more effectively. Consult a physician before taking chromium.
L-Carnitine
The body produces energy by converting glucose, or sugar and fat into molecules of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is a molecule that stores energy. When the body requires energy, molecules of ATP are broken apart to release energy. L-carnitine is an amino acid, or protein, that promotes the uptake of fat into the process of creating energy, or ATP. Therefore, some believe L-carnitine burns fat in higher concentrations and, as such, shrinks fat cells. Study results are variable; some studies report a decrease in weight with L-carnitine supplementation, while other studies report no effect of L-carnitine. Consult a physician before supplementing with L-carnitine.
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